Ah, the military police at the gates. They’re the ones who stand in the intense heat, bitter cold and torrential downpours as they check ID cards. They stand for hours and skip meals. If they have a moment, it’s a quick one to swallow a few bites.

My husband was military police—or rather, since he is in the Air Force, he’s known as Security Forces. He did this for fourteen years so he knows things. Currently he’s training to be a MTI, but he’ll always have a soft spot for the military police. He always wants to be sure they are treated well, because sometimes while at the gate they encounter all sorts of things.

Here are tips to make life easier for yourself at the military base gates:

Please turn off your headlights if it’s dark. If you don’t, the military police get blinded. I made the mistake of forgetting once. Then they told my husband, “Dude, your wife totally blinded us.” Oops. Sorry. After that, I made sure to always, always turn off my headlights as I go through the gate.

Turn off your windshield wipers if it’s raining when you approach the gate. If you don’t, they get splashed with the water as they check your ID card. They’re probably cold enough as it is standing there.

Please don’t say “stay warm” or “stay cool.” You might be saying it kindly, but to them they hear sarcasm. It’s just how it goes.

Don’t ask “Oh, you’re checking IDs?” It’s safe to assume that there will be 100 percent ID card checks at the gate. Which leads me to my next point…

Be prepared! Have your ID card ready to go. Don’t dig through your purse. Don’t dig through a wallet. Have it out in a place you can easily grab it. I normally put my card in the drink holder. Granted, there have been times when I’ve gone to get my ID card and it went flying out of my hand. I had to pull over and find it in the backseat. Another time it dropped at the military police dude’s feet. He was polite enough to get it for me. Mistakes DO happen, but at least TRY to be ready to go.

If you don’t know where to go on base, don’t ask a billion questions. It’s okay to ask, “Hey, where’s the commissary,” but don’t follow it up with “And where’s the BX? Where’s the bank? What’s in the food court?” The cops have a line of cars to get through and if they take too long with you, the cars in their line get an attitude.

Please don’t argue if you’re asked to do a random vehicle inspection (RVI.) Some people behave like complete brats when asked to pull over. “But I have someplace to BE!” they might whine. Oh well. Let the cops do their job. It’s not always convenient, but know they are doing it to keep us safe.

Understand that sometimes the military police have to say silly things like, “Welcome to Tinker Air Force Base” even though you’ve lived there for five years. It’s because their commander told them they have to say it. It might sound cheesy, but they don’t have a choice. They are limited on what they can say. Tom told me the story about a fellow cop who got in trouble for saying “Have a blessed day!” because the person he said it to complained and said they weren’t religious.

Don’t complain over stupid crap. See above. Remember: these guys are standing out in the cold and in the heat. They don’t need to deal with extra nonsense.

If the vehicle line is long, don’t complain to the cop. They’re doing the best they can.

Remember that the military police are human beings. Sometimes people forget and think of them as robots that mechanically check ID cards. They deserve our respect. The next time you go through a gate, smile and thank them for what they do. They’ll appreciate it.

Reader Interactions

29 Comments

I use to link the back of my ID card and stick to my forehead and just stick my head out the window.the Marine MP would just laugh and wave me on,they had a sense of humor.that was back in the 80’s though I guess they must be more careful now.

Back in the 90s I was a military contractor, after your initial check in with your sponsor you did not have to show ID to get on the base most of the time I was there. Things have sure changed since 9/11.

I am an Air Force BRAT… And the MPs were always a group I respected. My favorite Christmas memory when I was growing up: we would open our stockings, but before we did the big Christmas stuff, we always got in the car and drove to all of the base hates with Christmas cookies and other homemade goodies for the gate guards stick with that shift. They were usually slick sleeves away from home for the first time that Christmas. (my dad was Supply, and we already had his fresh Airmen coming for dinner.)

Dad has retired and I no longer live near a base….and the one at my parents down has contract security forces instead of airmen…..so we now so this with our firemen.

MP’s don’t even guard most gates nowadays. It’s details of soldiers or civilians depending on where you live and the base/post you’re talking about. There ARE times when you must ask to be given a bye on the inspection — a friend’s son was bleeding and they were on the way to the ER and got pulled over, I took a friend to meet her husband who had been MEDEVACED from a war zone and told them you can follow us but seriously ….

Yes they are just doing their job but that doesn’t make it any more important than anyone else’s. The guards who are polite, laugh a little, speak clearly, aren’t acting annoyed to be there or terribly brusque, and know that everyone has a bad day now and then, are the best.

I feel it is slightly more important than others seeing as they’re protecting an entire base. But I get what you mean. In the Air Force there are MPs actually guarding the base. I know this as much. Sometimes they do have DAF guards to help, but it’s them as well.

When I saw this headline I was expecting more practical advice specific to the gate like “take your sunglasses off,” or “roll the back window down if you have tinted windows.” Not “don’t be mean to the gate guards because they stand out in the heat and cold, and don’t get time to eat.” Standing out in the heat and cold, and not having time to eat, applies to MANY military jobs, and no one should be mean to any of them. Gate guards deserve our respect and courtesy but they’re not special snowflakes. We need to treat all MOSs with courtesy and respect .

I completely understand what you’re saying but I respectfully disagree. The MPs deal with a lot–not that other people don’t, but they stand in the cold. The heat. The blizzards. The pouring down rain. Most people are in offices and aren’t in the elements like that. So they deserve kind words and treats, maybe a little more than others.

I’m surprised that any MP or airman no less would be that ruffled by “stay cool” and “stay warm” …a bit sensitive I think. I’ve said those things as a way to acknowledge what they do. If something said genuinely has that kind of effect on them they might be in the wrong line of work. I’ve never experienced disdain for my kind comments by soldiers at the gates so many it’s just an airforce thing.

They”ll certainly be polite to your face if you happen to say it–otherwise they know they can get in trouble for poor attitude. But trust me when I say that they talk about how much they hate being told “stay warm” or “stay cool” behind closed doors. Not EVERY MP, mind you, but a good portion of them.

My boyfriend has been in the Air Force for a little over a year now and he always jokes around with the MPs by saying that and they always laugh and joke back with him, so I think it might be more of the person and location.

I always ask for their first names & learn as many as I can! Sometimes I get weird looks when I ask, but I’ve found that even the gruffest gate guard is happy when I greet them by name. I always miss our gate guard friends when we PCS!

Twenty plus years of going thru gates and the biggest one is always be prepared. Be polite and smile….that being said, you are going to find some that are power hungry and very annoying. I do tell them to stay warm in a genuine way, no matter what I will ALWAYS tell them that. How they take it is their business. I laugh very hard when reading the comment about licking it to and sticking it to my forehead. There are days when you are hella tired. lol. I once went up to a gate and the guard was HUGE I mean HULK big, muscled and mean wow…giant…I gave him a serious look and said they really do need to find much bigger guards ..the ones they have now are puny…he busted out laughing and said thank you. They are people too, that protect every single day.

When entering an armory the other day I learned that if you give them your ID upside down it a silent way to tell them you’re in distress. I was embarrassed to say the least, but learned something new. I now pay close attention to how I hand them my ID when I visit my husband.

I’ve been in a serious relationship with an Airman for close to a year now and some of these are common courtesy, but I appreciate the post. Also, after reading the comments, I definitely want to bake the MPs cookies because I wasn’t aware that’s they may not get lunch. I definitely think that would be easier for them to munch on between cars than say a sandwich’s or something. 😊

As a visitor to a base to visit my son in AIT, we also learned that you need to provide car registration and proof of car insurance. They did a vehicle search every time we visited also. I was prepared after the first visit.

Here’s a quick tip for spouses that will help prevent some embarrassment when referring to the installation where your spouse is assigned. The Army installations are posts. The Air Force and Navy installations are called bases. The Marine installations are called camps. When speaking to your spouse or other service members, it will help them not to have to switch gears in their head and convert their conversation to the way civilians speak although they are probably more than willing to do so. If you want to keep things simple, all of these can be summed up by calling them installations.

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